Film Review: 30 Minutes or Less (2011)

Talk about a polarizing movie: some critics have called it a hysterical, albeit preposterous, comedy (even the summer’s funniest?) while others have stated that if its runtime was as short as its title then it still would have been overlong and disappointing.  Regrettably, I tend to agree with the latter assessment.  As an action movie, it is lackluster; as a comedy, it is mediocre – you will either describe it as mindlessly hilarious or find it simply mindless and only chuckle-worthy.  Despite a lean 83-minute runtime that has almost no scene that fails to move the plot forward, watching it is still a bit of a drag.  Coming from Ruben Fleischer, director of the breakout comedy Zombieland (2009), you would expect this movie to be highly stylized and energetic.  However, 30 Minutes or Less (2011) is a drab production with undeveloped, patience-testing characters and no resolution; what’s more, it is only sporadically funny.  The term “a-musing” is an apt description for the comedy: an entertaining diversion without thought.  Figuratively, 30 Minutes or Less delivers on time but its product is largely stale and tasteless.

Film Review: Everything Must Go (2011)

Expecting another slapstick comedy from Will Ferrell? Look elsewhere, because Everything Must Go (2011) is more of a “kitchen-sink” drama that may test many viewers’ patience.  It contains a few humorous moments that lighten the at-times serious tone.  For most audiences, particularly Ferrell comedy fanatics, the film may be tedious or unsatisfying.  However, viewers who know what to expect shouldn’t be disappointed; it is a decent simple independent film and character study mainly because of Ferrell’s steady performance.

Film Review: The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

This is by far the best performance by Matthew McConaughey in nearly a decade.  Apart from his strong turn in the touching We Are Marshall (2006) and comical take in the hilarious Tropic Thunder (2008), he’s been stuck in a string of underwhelming romantic comedies and hasn’t lived up to his massive potential displayed in A Time to Kill (1996) and other early 2000s films.  Here, though, he showcases his talents in a slick, tour de force performance.  He carries the film and elevates it to be worthy of the big screen and not just the television movie-like story.  Adapted from the novel of the same name by Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) is a surprisingly absorbing thriller and fine piece of entertainment; it might not add anything new to the genre, but it is still a solid, fresh courtroom drama-thriller.